Splitting the Damaged Soul
by GMGirl
Summary: When an accident forces Dani through the Fenton Ghost Catcher, not only is the split different from Danny's, but it's also a great deal more dangerous.
1. The Accident

AN: This is meant to be a short series. I had originally planned it to be a oneshot, but splitting it up seemed a bit better for the pacing. For those waiting for updates of some of my other stories, I've got a few chapters written, and I'm just fine tuning them. I am sorry for the delay, I've just had a rather long writing slump. This idea just hit me due to a game I was playing and I just had to write it.

Everything until D-stabilized has happened, but not Phantom Planet so Danny's identity is still secret. It's two years later, and Valerie knows about Danny. And Danny and Sam are together, but it's not likely to come up anyway.

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><p>"Son, you need to make more friends like this!" Jack Fenton declared, pointing to Dani Gray, age fourteen.<p>

Danny, age sixteen, was staring at his 'new' friend and Valerie's new adopted sister, otherwise known as his younger female clone, shock gone unnoticed as Jack turned to the girl, blathering on the finer points of the Fenton Ghost Peeler. To explain just how close her theory on how it worked had been.

Eventually Maddie called Jack away for help with something, leaving the two halfas alone.

"When did you learn all that?" Danny asked, walking over to Dani as she looked over an ecto gun.

"What did you think I was doing after I left Vlad?" Dani asked. "I was doing research and after the second time…well, I found it interesting," she added with a shrug.

"Oh. I thought you were just flying around," Danny said. Running from Vlad was left unsaid.

"Of course not," Dani said. "That'd just be stupid. Besides, I needed to do something and libraries are free. Did you know how much your parents actually put up their research?"

"Uh, no, not really. How much?"

"At least half of the searches. Well, half that were really worth anything. Most people just have the old myths, which is good for theory and mentality, but not a whole lot for the science behind it," Dani said.

"Huh, really?"

"Yeah. Before this portal, the information is pretty scarce. I thought the Guys in White might have stuff, but, you know, government and its classified files," Dani said with a shrug. "Hey, think your parents can teach me about the tech? Valerie's kind of got a limited supply and while I can recharge the power, it's no good for when stuff gets broken."

Danny chuckled. "If you really want to risk it. Dad can go on for hours when he drags me into learning it, I'm not sure how long he'd go with a willing student."

Dani beamed. "Cool! That'll help a lot."

"So you're really gonna keep learning then?"

Dani shrugged. "Why not? You know as much as I do that it's not like I could become an astronaut or anything. It's something I'm interested in and if I'm working with your family or Valerie, then I can stay out of the limelight."

Danny paused at that, studying the younger girl. Now that she mentioned it, it was true. She was his clone, after all. And if anyone figured it out, it would be bad. "How did you even get those papers that you did?"

"Hung around the bad part of town in New York," Dani said, setting down the gun. "Just had to wait long enough for someone who's knowledgeable about that sort of thing to either be a ghost or willing to help out a girl with the amount of money I had."

He frowned at that. As much as he knew she could handle herself, especially after being stabilized, he still didn't like the idea of her hanging out in some city slums. Especially when she was LOOKING for dead criminals. And yet she looked so nonchalant about it. He wondered if she even understood how dangerous it was.

"Made up a whole history and everything after a call to Valerie."

"Does her dad know?"

Dani paused. "Sort of. Basically, I was made my creator a mad scientist ghost doing weird experiments. He doesn't know about the ghost powers, just that a ghost managed to make a human clone, and I had met someone who could make the papers after I managed to get to the human world. Valerie saved me when the ghost tried to get me again. But he helped check out the papers, being an old security expert, so we got it all checked out. Far as the government knows, I'm some kid who ran away from one of those overcrowded foster homes."

"Wow. How did you even figure all that out?"

"Library after the stabilization."

"Well…I'm glad it all worked out then," Danny said, ruffling her hair.

"Hey!" She said and pouted, flatting out her hair before smiling. "Yeah…so am I. Hey, do you think your parents would let me have an ecto gun? Just in case, you know."

"We'll see," Danny said and suddenly both cousins gasped, blue air escaping their mouths. "Oh great. Who is it this time?" He grumbled.

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

Danny sighed, turning to the portal where the Box Ghost was. "Really?" He said, the rings of white forming around his waist, turning him into Danny Phantom. "Don't worry, Danielle, he's not a problem."

"I can HEAR you. Do not think I, THE BOX GHOST, will just stand by as you belittle the true threat that I am. BEWARE!" He shouted, and sent boxes flying at the two. Dani yelped and jumped behind the counter to avoid getting hit, Danny simply phasing through them.

"Dude, seriously? I just cleaned the lab this morning!" Danny said, sending a blast at the Box Ghost, but it seemed he was bound and determined to be annoying today.

Danny chased him around the lab, avoiding the boxes he sent around, Dani watching from behind the counter. Though she quickly had to duck everytime the Box Ghost sent things her way until finally Danny managed to corner him enough to suck him into the Thermos.

"One day, I'm going to get you to stay in there," Danny said, walking over to the machine to flush the contents of the thermos back into the Ghost Zone. "You okay Dani?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Dani said, pushing boxes off her and stumbling and tripping over them to get out from behind the counter. "I didn't get hit at all."

"That's good," Danny said, turning around to see one of the boxes Dani pushed out of the way knock into the Fenton Ghost Catcher. His eyes widened as it began to topple over. "Dani, watch out!"

"Huh?" Dani turned, looking up, and too late to get out of the way as the Fenton Ghost Catcher fell over her.

Danny slapped his face. "Oh jeeze, a fun Dani and a phantom Dani," he said and sighed. "Sorry, Dani, that's a device that removes ghostly things from non-ghostly. The ghost you just needs to phase into the human and if that doesn't work, we just need to use the other si-"

It was then Danny realized something had gone very, very horribly wrong as Dani, the human one, backed away from her ghost side. He could see why.

The ghost had red eyes.


	2. Red Eyes

AN: Wow, so many favorite lists and story alerts for this in only a day. O_o Thanks for everyone who did and a special thanks to Dezzi Star for leaving a comment.

I'll be explaining why the split happened the way it did, probably in the next chapter, which is a lot longer than the other two, but that whole pacing thing again. Trying to decide if I want to split it down to be more consistent or not.

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><p>His mind reeling, trying to understand. Why had the split done that? Red eyes…there was barely a red eye ghost in existence that wasn't evil. They existed, but he knew what they meant on him for sure. They were definitely evil.<p>

The phantom grinned. "Well, well, isn't this new," she said, flexing her fingers.

"You're…I can't…feel my ghost powers," Dani said.

"Weren't you listening? All that was ghostly was removed, so that means I have it," the phantom said. "And, it seems, all those pesky thoughts that keep saying 'that's wrong, we can't' over and over again is gone too."

"I don't know how that happened, but you're going right back with Dani," Danny said, stepping forward.

The phantom looked at Danny and he froze. That look, it wasn't so much fear that made him pause as shock and…pain, that he felt. The eyes were cold, akin to some of Vlad's worst angers before he completely lost it, but they also seemed hollow. Broken in a way he never wanted to see.

"You don't even know how this happened? Have you really missed that much or have you really not researched what you are at all?" She asked and gestured to Dani. "She's already figuring it out. And she already knows what I'm going to do."

"Don't! You can't!" Dani shouted. "It's wrong! We're supposed to be better than that."

"We're two years old! We aren't supposed to be better, we're supposed to be a child!" Phantom snarled.

"You can't honestly think I'll let you go…do whatever that Dani's freaking out about," Danny said.

Phantom looked at him and smiled. In a sickeningly sweet and almost fond way. In a way that managed to make his skin crawl. "Danny…you know I'd never want to fight you. You're too important. You never left, it was always me. So there's no reason to fight you. Don't worry, it's nothing that will cause you problems."

"It doesn't have to. If it's wrong, I can't let you do it," Danny said, moving between Phantom and Dani.

The smile fell. "Oh, Danny…I really don't want to have to do this…" And suddenly she fired an ecto blast, sending him flying back. He quickly recovered, about to counterattack when suddenly ice encased his hands.

"What? When did you-how did you get control?"

"Danny, Danny, Danny," she said, shaking her head. "I've always had excellent control," she added, firing another volley of ice, encasing his body and flying over to him.

He started charging up the ecto in his hands, planning to shatter the ice, but she put her hands on the ice. As soon as the cracks started to form, they'd seal up again, her eyes glowing blue. Danny was floored. How did she get this strong, this good? It had only be little over a year ago she'd been stabilized!

"Don't fight me, Danny," she said, her voice low and soothing, yet hiding something sinister. "You're too important to me." Then her eyes blazed red. "But don't think I won't hurt you until you learn."

"Get away from him!" Dani shouted, pointing an ecto gun at Phantom.

She looked over, looking her human side up and down slowly. "You don't have it in you anymore. You and I both know that."

Dani's hands started to shake. She couldn't pull the trigger. "Just…just please…"

Phantom sighed and patted the ice block. "Do keep an eye on her, won't you, Danny? I'm afraid she won't last long on her own," she said and smiled at him. "Now, I'll be back, so just behave, all right?" And with that, she vanished from sight.

Moments later, Danny blasted apart the ice, for a moment thinking of trying to follow even if he wasn't sure WHERE Phantom was going, but after hearing the clatter of metal on metal, he turned to Dani instead. He rushed over, changing back to human, and kneeling beside his cousin. Her knees had given out on her.

"Dani, are you okay?"

Dani nodded her head. "I am," she said and looked at Danny. "Are you okay? She attacked you…"

"I'm fine. Listen, this…do you know where that you is going?"

Dani shook her head. "I…I don't….she's smart, so her goal, she won't go there first. She knows she wouldn't win."

"Win? What's her goal?"

Dani looked away. "…she's going to kill Vlad."


	3. Missing What Should Be Obvious

AN: So I decided to split because this thing was ending up longer. I needed to rewrite part of it anyway, to make what I was saying a bit clearer. And holy, still so many sudden reviews and alert adding. A special thanks for reviewing to Genie, WhatNooooI'mNotACONTRACTOR, Summer The Phantom-Wofl, TNMTLittleTomboy, and Dezzi Star (So sorry for ruining your sleep, but we're not quite to Phantom and Vlad yet.)

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><p>It had been three days ago that Dani had truly returned to Amity Park to stay. Ever since she was stabilized, she'd come back every odd so weeks, stick around for a few days, usually hiding in one of their attics. She had met Sam and Tucker a bit more properly and finally met Jazz. Who, to say the least, was overjoyed to have a new little sister, tomboy she may be. She'd even hang out with Valerie, becoming good friends with the ghost hunter. That is until one time six months ago that Dani came home to tell him that Valerie had offered to find a way to get her adopted. Danny had asked about Vlad and Dani had said she asked the same thing. Then she explained that Valerie had found out about Vlad when she was stabilized and could quickly make it a non issue for Dani's sake.<p>

After that, Danny decided it was time to tell Valerie the truth. If she was willing to adopt Dani, do all of that for Dani, it was the least he could do. Of course, there had been a huge fight, Valerie accusing him of making her a fool and so many other ugly things. It had lasted for two days, Dani finally convincing Valerie that Danny hadn't meant to fool her and that he did care. He was just afraid to tell her the truth. And Valerie knew she wouldn't have been as mad as she was if she hadn't cared about Danny, so finally, she forgave him.

Though he did have to pay for her whenever she happened to join him and his friends at the Nasty Burger, but he thought it was fair enough for lying to her for over a year.

Since then, they had been making plans. Dani still left, not wanting to get any attention from the people around town until things were official, but she kept in contact more, calling at least once a week, if not more. Finally, three days ago, she had gotten all the paperwork sorted, Valerie had convinced her dad to adopt her, and things were set. The first two days had been getting to know Valerie's father and getting everything settle.

The third day was when Danny decided to see if his parents seeing Dani would be a problem. They had commented on her likeness, but then brushed it off as a coincidence. Stranger things had happened, after all.

With all the planning, and work put into giving Dani a home, Danny had lost track on Dani's progress with her powers. It hadn't help for the last few months, almost all of the calls Dani could afford went to Valerie.

So they would do that now, as they waited for the others to arrive. Jazz had been at the library, and Sam and Tucker were at home, so there would be a bit of time before they arrived. Danny had thought about calling Valerie, but after Dani asked him not to, since she had already asked so much of her, he relented. Especially when it involved Vlad. Valerie was still rather…hostile about him.

"So, when did you figure out the ice thing?"

"About three months ago," Dani explained, sitting on Danny's bed, wrapped in a blanket. She had been shaken after the encounter, and found the blanket comforting. "Things started to get really cold, and even my ghost form was freezing. It really shouldn't have been, temperature doesn't usually affect it."

Danny nodded. "The same for me. I thought it was just a chill until I finally felt it as a ghost. Then I knew something was wrong."

Dani nodded. "But it was similar. To when the Ghost Sense goes off. And there's a lot of mythology about ghosts making things cold. It varies how cold, but I thought, maybe it was a manifestation like that. Some new ghost ice power. After that, I started to practice and most of the theory for ecto attacks applied pretty well."

"Theory?"

Dani nodded. "There was a reason I could keep up with you, you know. Vlad taught me. I did only have a month."

Only a month…? Danny felt uncomfortable as he realized how very little he actually knew about Dani. He could guess her physical age, but how old she had really been, what she went through, all of it was a blank. And it was like that for everything, wasn't it? He knew what type of person she was, an upbeat, spirited kid. She'd tell a lot of stories about her travels. But now that he thought about it, had he ever heard he tell anything she wasn't excited about after she was stabilized?

"It wasn't exactly the same, of course, but it was close enough I was able to figure it out. And I've always been good at control…"

"The other you said that too. Do you mean, like, more than normal?" Danny asked.

Dani was silent for a few moments. "I did watch you fight, back then. You're good and skilled, but you lacked…" She waved a hand in the air. "Finesse! That's it. You got better, from what I've seen on TV, but you always had a lot of power to throw around. Part of how I survived was knowing how to use only as much energy as I have too. Keep my powers under my control, only do what I want, all of that. Once I had the energy, it was easy to figure out how to make an ecto shield, and do some fancier tricks. I think I can do everything you can…well, except the wail."

"Yeah, the wail is…not something that was easy to do," Danny said.

"I think it's probably because I don't have a need for it. It's too out of my current ability to force it."

"Need?"

"Vlad mentioned that you only really developed powers when you needed them. Said that it was lucky you did, but he was afraid you'd run out and blah, blah, blah, stuff to make me think we were doing the right thing," Dani said with a shrug.

Danny thought about that and now that he did…well, aside from the most basic powers, it had pretty much been that way. No matter how much he tried in training, he didn't get duplication for MONTHS, but things like the ghost shield had just come to him. And the Ghostly Wail had definitely been a time of need. Even the ice powers came just in time, though the might have just been coincidence.

"You're sure she won't go after Vlad right away?"

"Even if she did, she wouldn't be strong enough. She's not stupid, she'll be making a plan."

Danny nodded, wanting to ask why her ghost half was like that, but...no, not yet. He wanted Jazz around, at least.

At least he didn't have to wait long. Soon, he heard the front door opening and the voices of his friends. He went and got them and once upstairs, he explained everything that had happened to them.

"But why would her ghost side go all red eye?" Tucker asked.

"It does split personality. We saw that with Fun Danny and Super Danny. And it did do different things when we put them through again," Sam said.

"But then it mixed up the ghost abilities. The personality was still the same split," Danny said.

"Danny, was it always like that?" Jazz suddenly asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You told me that story. You said your ghost half overshadowed you to try and fuse back, but it didn't work. Why did he think it'd work?"

Danny paused. "…because it did before," he said. "Back when mom and dad first made it, I went through on accident. It split me in half, but my ghost half just flew right back in."

"And was the split the same?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Tucker asked.

Danny, however, didn't answer. Instead thinking back. The first time he had felt human after getting his powers. It was kind of weird, because he saw it in two different way. One, on the ground, looking up. The other up and looking down. It was dizzying, but…

His ghost side didn't…FEEL like anything. Some confusion and worry and immediately going back. His human half just felt normal. Maybe less like he had the weight of the world, but still.

Then there was Fun Danny and Super Danny. There was some desire to rejoin, but it had been overrun by the desire to be a hero/be a normal kid.

"It wasn't," Danny said. "Why wasn't it?"

"The Ghost Catcher…that wasn't too long after you started acting like a hero, was it?" Jazz asked.

"No. Why?"

"And the second time, it was after Pariah Dark," Jazz said, hand on her chin, looking deep in thought.

"Yeah. Why? Jazz, what are you thinking?" Danny asked.

Jazz stood up. "Let me see something. You three, out. I need to speak to Danielle alone."

"Hey, it's my room!" Danny said.

"And your clone that I'm trying to help, but this sort of talk needs to be PRIVATE," Jazz said, pushing them out of the room and shutting the door behind them.

Danny grumbled, but sighed. "Come on, let's get the boo-merang and some of the other stuff to restrain Phantom," he said, heading downstairs. It seemed like Jazz realized something. He just wished he knew what it was.

Jazz turned to face Dani, who was looking at her thoughtfully. "Danielle-"

"Dani," Dani said. "If Danny's around, it's fine, but…I don't really like Danielle."

"Oh?" She asked, walking over to sit at the end of the bed.

"Danielle is too girly," she said automatically.

"And?"

"…" Dani looked away.

"Dani, Danny told me you were a clone made by Vlad. But he didn't really tell me how he saved you. Can you…?"

Dani was silent for several moments before she sighed. "All right."

And she did. Jazz listened intently as Dani retold the tale of how she lied to Danny, how he earned his trust. Jazz noticed a distant look at mentioning the other clones, like she was about to cry, but it faded as she continued her story. How she betrayed Danny, how he tried to convince her of the truth, of Vlad's own blunder, and her rebellion. However, it was then Jazz noticed something strange. Dani would show sadness, but nothing else. And even then, the sad was small, the clones certainly being the time she looked saddest. Yet it seemed to have faded completely by the time she got to the rebellion, looking more revlievd.

Yet it didn't seem right to Jazz. Something was wrong.

Dani continued on, to the second time she met Danny. How she was on her last legs, how she met Valerie, being tricked. How Vlad tortured her to death. There was a feeling of white hot anger in Jazz at that. A little girl! This sweet, energetic little girl, who felt like a SISTER to her and he just…!

It was then Jazz realized what was wrong.

Sadness was to be expected. A little girl had been betrayed by her father, of course there would be sadness. Even if something felt off about it, at least it was expected, but the thing was, Danny wasn't WEAK. The fact Dani had survived as long as she did meant she wasn't weak either. More than that, she had rebelled. She wasn't someone Vlad had broken, she wasn't someone who suffered under crushing despair. She defended herself and fought tooth and nail to survive.

Why hadn't there been the least hint of anger? Rebellion came from anger, so why wasn't it there?

"Dani, are you…are you angry at Vlad?" Jazz asked.

"Of course," she answered, but it had been so matter of fact.

"Even now? Really think about it."

Dani opened her mouth to answer, but paused, thinking for a few moments before she finally shook her head. "I don't feel angry at all." She didn't seem surprised.

"And…and you're sad right. But why are you sad?" Jazz asked.

"Because I…I was doing bad things when I knew better," Dani said and it didn't look like a lie.

"Dani…you know why the split happened the way it did…didn't you?" Jazz asked.

Dani looked up in surprise. Then she winced and looked away.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jazz said. She crossed her arms, looking at the wall in thought. "A planner, annoyed by a conscience, a grudge against Vlad, but a possessive and abusive type of affection for Danny."

"She doesn't feel guilt," Dani said softly. "She never will."

Jazz looked at Dani. "Why?"

"…because that's what Vlad taught me," Dani said and looked up. "You realized it too, didn't you? What's happened?"

"Almost. It just…you're not like that, it's not like what she is, is your obsession, so why-"

"Fun Danny and Super Danny. What were they like?"

Jazz paused. "Basically, Fun Danny was a normal teenager. Super Danny was the superhero. Of course the obsessive nature would-"

"Jazz," Dani said, staring at her firmly. "Which side has more regret?"

Jazz paused. And then it made sense.

"Oh Dani…" Jazz said softly.

Dani looked away.

"Why didn't you say anything? You knew, didn't you?"

"Because…because it shouldn't EXIST," Dani said, curling up in a tighter ball. "I don't WANT it to exist, it never should have existed, and I just…even if I tried to tell Danny, even though I know it's RIGHT, it's just…"

Jazz nodded. "I understand," she said, reaching over to hug the girl. "But he needs to know. You know that, right?"

Dani nodded. "Can you…I can't manage, but you could…" She said, looking at her hopefully.

"I will," Jazz said.

Dani nodded again, pulling the blanket around her. "Thanks."

Jazz kissed the top of her head. "It'll be all right. You'll see," she said and stood up, left the room, heading down to the basement.

"Danny?"

Danny looked up, having been going through the equipment with Sam and Tucker. Luckily his parents had left on some errand, and have missed all the drama.

Jazz gestured for him to follow her to the kitchen, heading back up the stairs. "So, what's up?" Danny asked.

Jazz thought about it for a few moments, wondering how to begin. "You know how ghosts, the ones who were humans, end up being ghosts?"

Danny nodded. "They have some regret or obsession when they died, right?"

"That's right. And as a halfa, while you're different, you're not immune to those tendencies."

"What? I'm not obsessed with anything!" Danny said.

"Superhero," Jazz said.

"That's not-"

"Danny," Jazz said, giving him a look. "Running around in what is essentially a costume, fighting crime. If it wasn't ghosts, you know it'd probably be muggings."

Danny paused. "Well…"

"And it would explain the Vlad. From that time with your evil future self. He let go of his obsession because he didn't have his ghost half anymore."

Danny sighed. "Okay, maybe you have a point."

"Of course I do," Jazz said. "That's why, I think, the two splits were different. The first time, you were still finding yourself, becoming the hero, and it didn't become as much of a strain on you to be it and to be normal. By the second time, you had fought the strongest ghost in our time period and nearly died to do it. By then, your mind had made the hero a true persona."

Danny leaned against the counter, crossing his arms. "All right, I see what you mean. But that doesn't explain Danielle. She's not a villain."

"No…she's not," Jazz said.

Danny perked up a bit, noticing the troubled expression on Jazz's face. "What's wrong?"

"Danny, have you ever…really thought about what Danielle went through?"

"She was tricked by Vlad, played by him," Danny said. "It's really frustrating and probably feels horrible for it."

Jazz sighed.

"What?"

"Danny, I know you mentally know mom and dad would accept you, if you told the truth," Jazz started. "But what if they didn't? What if they hated you and rejected you, what would you feel?"

He did know. He did know his parents would accept him, especially know that he's lived through it. It had been such a relief at the time to be certain. He knew the fear they'd reject him had always been silly, and he usually told himself it wouldn't happen as soon as it entered his mind. Though that didn't stop the occasional nightmare.

And he thought about it. What he would feel if his parents rejected it, if those nightmares came true. His chest felt tight and it was almost suffocating to think about. Trying to imagine the pain was unbearable and yet he knew what he imagined now wouldn't compare to the real thing.

"To Dani, Vlad had been her father. She has your inclinations to be loyal to her family. She loved him, and the fact Vlad emotionally manipulated her to be loyal, to destroy and betray against her better instincts, didn't help. It was a type of manipulation that's rather common in abusive relationships. More than that, before you, Vlad was the only person she really knew. Children often think of the world of their parents. To Dani, Vlad WAS her world," Jazz said, after seeing the haunted look on Danny's face.

Then the despair shift and it became crushing guilt. The pain wouldn't have reached his imagined pain, but it got pretty close as Danny realized just how stupid he had been. "But…she was smiling when she left…"

"Everytime I've seen her lie, she's been smiling. Danny, when you first met her, was she smiling when she told you that cover story?" Jazz asked.

"…yes," Danny said, his horror growing as the realization hit.

"Vlad taught her to lie, Danny. He taught her to ignore every part of you inside her that told her what was right and what was wrong and she lied with a smile on her face."

Danny had to put a hand on the counter to keep from falling down. What had he done? He had to free her from Vlad, there was no question, but he let her fly off after ripping her world apart! And why? Because he couldn't explain her and she had seemed so happy…

How could he have been so blind?

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><p>AN2: So this is kind of reason the story ate me. It wasn't so much the DOOM of it all, but rather, a more indepth look at the relationship Dani has with both Vlad and Danny as well as the mental affects of being a halfa. I DON'T THINK DANNY IS A JERK FOR NOT REALIZING DANI WAS PROBABLY IN A HORRIBLE PLACE. But, again, he is a C student and Dani was very much trying to act like things were TOTALLY OKAY when they really weren't. (Plus, kids show, not so likely to go into details of the horror that is Dani's life and just how damaged a psyche of a child like her would be) As well as finally having a story with Dani and her own Phantom separate because I don't think that's ever actually been done.<p> 


	4. The Obsessions

Danny's form trembled as he realized how stupid he'd been. How could he have not realized how much that must have hurt? He should have known, he was responsible for her!

Jazz noticed the distress in her brother and moved over, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder. "She doesn't hate you, or blame you," she said, tilting his head up to look at her. "She loves you."

"Are…are you sure?" Danny asked, his voice shaking.

Jazz nodded. "She trusts you, Danny. And she didn't want you to be burden by those feelings, that's why she didn't tell you. That's why she didn't visit as often when she wasn't well. She doesn't want to cause you trouble because she loves you. You mean the world to her now."

Danny hesitated for a minute before he finally nodded. "O…okay," he said. It didn't get rid of the guilt, but he supposed it was enough for now. Enough to just…put those feelings aside so he could deal with the here and now. Right now, there was a ghost to deal with.

"Then…Phantom?" Danny asked.

Jazz nodded, guiding Danny over to the chair.

"I already told you why the two splits were different, right?" Jazz said. "Well, it's always like that, but it's not always the same. Your splits were different, but there's other splits to consider too."

"Other splits?" Danny said.

"Just as being half ghost affects your mind, your mind also affects the ghost," Jazz said. "I've actually been wondering it for a while. Why exactly you and Vlad are so much stronger, how you get so much stronger even more than some ancient ghosts. And I've been thinking…it's because you and Vlad are more adaptable."

"Adaptable…do you mean because we're half human?"

Jazz nodded. "Even though your obsessive nature is strong, it's not as consuming as a ghost. You can change, Vlad can change, in a way most ghosts can't. Sometimes it's just powers, but sometimes, it can make your ghost side obsessed with something else entirely. And we've seen proof of that."

"When did we-wait, do you mean then?!"

"Yes," Jazz said. "In that alternate timeline. You said Vlad said his evil side overwhelmed you, but…I think part of that might have been him being kind to you."

Danny looked away guiltily.

"But you've already thought about it?"

Danny nodded. "Vlad said his evil side overwhelmed me, but the thing was, if that was true, wouldn't he have identified himself more as Vlad than me?"

"That's what I was thinking about. Instead he fused together. It wasn't an overshadowing, but a real fusion. I thought it might just be because of halves, but it was probably because they were thinking the same way too," Jazz said softly.

"Anger, pain, hatred…" Danny said. "He was angry enough to lash out, to rip someone apart."

"Because you as a whole had your world shattered. You were horribly depressed and that changed what your ghost felt."

"But Dani isn't alone! She realized what was wrong, she rebelled, she's stronger than any obsession with Vlad she had." Danny insisted.

"Yes, I thought about that too. And I think I know why." Jazz sighed. "Danny…the thing you need to keep in mind is Danielle was never a hero."

Danny didn't understand what brought that up. However, he was quick to defend Dani regardless. "What?! But she's saved my life!"

"So?"

"So?! So she's a hero!" Danny declared, throwing up his arms.

"She's a GOOD PERSON, Danny. A very good person, I won't say anything against that," Jazz said. "But she's not like you. If something is in front of her, she'll help, but she's not a superhero. She's unknown, she hasn't been saving the world. She doesn't go out of her way to do it."

"But she has superpowers!"

"Danny," Jazz said. "So do supervillains."

"Except she does good with them."

"Yes, she does, but it's not her being a hero. She was BORN with them, Danny. I'm sure, now that she has a home, she'll become one, but she wasn't before. She isn't as…" Jazz paused, looking for the right words.

Danny frowned at that. But, then again, it had been something he'd been taking for granted. After all, there was one major difference. "…dedicated, right?"

"Yes. Dedicated. She hasn't made it her mission. She's had to focus on other things."

"So? What are her obsessions?" Danny asked, looking sullen. After the latest revelation, he was in doubt of what little he even knew about his cousin.

Jazz, however, wasn't going to let it go just like that. "You tell me," she said. "You are still the one she trusts."

Danny huffed, waiting for Jazz to say anyway. However, when she hadn't spoken for a few minutes, he finally sighed and leaned against the table, burying a hand in his hair as he thought. "…Vlad. That would be the first thing, but then I ruined it. Probably traumatic enough to change things for her," he said, still feeling like a total heel for not seeing it. He thought more, thinking what it shifted to. Then he remembered what she said in the basement. Research to help herself. "Survival. To beat her destabilization. Maybe it's even why she lasted as long as she did."

"I was thinking along those lines too. She was willing to do almost anything for Vlad. She might have survived as long as she did because she was that obsessed with it too."

And now? What did she have to obsess over now? He didn't know. It wasn't being a hero, Jazz was right. Only occasionally did her stories involve saving people. Usually it was about some fun thing she managed to enjoy while dirt poor. Other than that, what was she trying to do?

…or maybe that was what she was trying to do. A look of realization crossed his face then. "Happiness."

Jazz nodded. "It seems like the best way to define it, at least."

"But that still doesn't explain Phantom!" Danny declared after a minute.

"It does," Jazz said. "Danielle noticed it. The way your ghosts split, the parts of you that were full of the 'most regret.' Your hero is the one who feels the guilt, when bad things happen you can't prevent. When you question yourself, you question if you can be a good hero. You don't have those regrets when you're just a normal teenager. And the part of her she regrets, the part of her that made the most of her regrets…is the part Vlad taught her."

If that was the case…no wonder Phantom was crazy. What Vlad taught her, making her deny what she knew was true. And probably why it was creepy.

"The way I see it, the split is more or less this," Jazz said. "The part upstairs is, in basic terms, what she has from you, with the rest of her mixed in. The part of her that realizes why things are wrong. That's probably why she couldn't shoot Phantom. The fact Danielle was born part ghost and the way she's tried to talk to ghosts instead of fight them during her visits probably means she views ghosts to be the same as humans. 'Hurting people' is wrong. So she couldn't do it. The guilt was too much."

"And Phantom is the stuff she regrets. The anger and hatred she feels towards Vlad, all the negative thoughts. The parts of her that wanted to cling to you, transferring what affection she had towards Vlad to you more than likely. The…insane coping mechanisms Vlad taught her. All of it that had become regrets because of the guilt she felt," Jazz said

"But why does she seem so guilty now?" Danny asked. "Isn't that supposed to be connected to regret?"

"Because her obsession is different from yours," Jazz said. "Her altruism isn't her obsession, like it is for you. So she feels a lot of things that have to do with things of others and…lacks a lot of feelings she should have about her life."

"What?" Danny asked, looking confused.

"Danielle didn't feel anger for Vlad. And she said her sadness was because she had done bad things, not because she was hurt."

Danny's eyes widened. "You mean…all of it's in Phantom?"

Jazz nodded. "It's probably why Phantom is so very hostile, but isn't totally irrational. She isn't just the impulse of lashing out like a hurt child would, she understands why she's angry and knows better than to just go attack Vlad, guns blazing," Jazz said, tapping her chin.

"So….a self aware and plotting temper tantrum plus super powers?"

"More or less."

Danny nodded, leaning back in his chair and thinking. "I think she's protective of Danielle. I don't think she wants her hurt."

Jazz nodded. "If it's 'her own happiness,' then Danielle is part of that, ultimately."

"And that part is crazy enough to not see it'll hurt her if she goes after Vlad," Danny sighed, palm pressed against his forehead in annoyance. "And what's worse is Danielle doesn't know where she is, just where she'll go."

"But at least we know a bit more how she thinks," Jazz said. "So the question is, who can we go in with to be at an advantage?"

Danny didn't speak for a minute, thinking it over. "We definitely don't want Valerie. Even if she's friends now, who knows if she was burying anything about that first time. What do you think about jealousy?"

"…probably nothing. She doesn't show bitterness towards you, so it's unlikely," Jazz said.

"So Sam and Tucker are fine," Danny said, sounding distracted.

"Danny?"

"…tell me it's a bad idea to warn Vlad."

Jazz didn't answer.

Danny looked at her, almost begging for her to say so, but they both knew better. "If we don't know where she is…"

"Then setting up a trap with Vlad as bait is the best option," Jazz finished.

Danny sighed, standing up. "I'm going to get Dani. Get Sam and Tucker and we'll head for Vlad's."

Danny headed up the stairs without another word. He didn't like this. He didn't like dealing with Vlad, the man couldn't be trusted. Especially with Danielle attacking him, who knows what he might do. He didn't want her killed, either part of her. Even if there was damage with the ghost side, Dani was stronger than that.

And he couldn't have her be incomplete, not after she struggled so hard to be whole.

"Dani, we're going to go soon. We know where we need…to…head…" Danny trailed off as he saw the room was empty, with only a single note on the bed. He hurried across the room, his heart pounding, his mind already working and he KNEW, knew before he even read the note what it was going to say.

'I have to warn Vlad.'

His blood ran cold as his suspicions were confirmed. "Jazz! Sam, Tucker!" He shouted, running down the stairs.


	5. A Certain Look

"Why would she even think that's a good idea?!" Sam shouted, looking at the note as Jazz drove as fast as she could down the street. At least there had been times her father needed to borrow her car, so most everyone in town knew to always give the Fenton vehicles a wide berth.

"Jazz and I think all the guilt parts of her are in the human half and all the stuff that would lead to self preservation is in the ghost," Danny said. "She's trying to be a good guy."

"By going to Vlad on her own? And taking my scooter?!" Tucker demanded.

"For the greater good," Danny pointed out.

"Do you know how many lawns I had to mow to get that scooter?!"

"Guys, driving. Keep it down," Jazz scolded.

"So what are we going to do?" Sam asked.

"We're going to Vlad's. Hopefully we'll catch up to her before she gets there. If not…"

"Go in, guns blazing?" Tucker asked.

Danny shook his head. "I can't risk a fight with Vlad, not if Phantom might be coming soon. Go in, get to Danielle, and hope Vlad can be reasoned with. Not like he could melt her down now anyway…"

"No, just use one of the other million ways that you could kill a human," Sam said darkly.

Danny flinched.

"I don't think so. Vlad doesn't acknowledge her as human," Jazz said, a frown on her face and not looking too happy with her words. "Any ghost powers that would definitely kill a human would take a more concentrated effort or extreme brutality. Injury is easy, but ghost abilities are the most effective at the destruction of ghosts, not humans, at least accidentally. The level of effort or brutality, he'd need a reason to, and she's less likely to invoke any deep anger with the way she is now."

"But it is Vlad we're talking about, so keeping speeding," Danny said.

"Like I was going to slow down," Jazz said.

* * *

><p>Dani had lied. She knew of several places the ghost would go. Anywhere in town with Anti-Ghost Technology other than FentonWorks. FentonWorks would be impossible with Danny there. However, it was Amity Park. There were several places the ghost could go and Valerie would surely have to be called in to help and she did not want to risk it.<p>

She adored Valerie. She did. Valerie understood a bit of where she was coming from. But she was afraid of what she repressed about that first meeting. Valerie had lied to her, made her hurt Danny AGAIN, Danny who fought so hard not to hurt her, who had been so kind.

She didn't want to see a part of herself attack Valerie. Especially after everything she did.

So she lied. And she lied again to Jazz. If she had to, she would have told Danny, but it was an opportunity. To buy time. If Jazz just distracted Danny for a little while, she can try and prevent this tragedy.

So after Jazz left, she snuck out of the house. With her life on the street, when she was trying to save her own energy, she had gotten quite good at hiding and moving quietly as a human too. And climbing. Climbing was a good skill to have.

After that, she borrowed Tucker's scooter and started down the street. She knew where the house was, she had to for safety's sake.

She knew it wasn't normal that she wasn't feeling fear now. Well, she felt FEAR, but it was fear of what Phantom might do. She wasn't afraid to see Vlad. She didn't feel any of the normal pain the thought of the man usually gave her.

She just wanted to get there before Phantom did and warn him. Even if she knew it wouldn't go well.

When she got to the mansion, she leaned the scooter against the wall, looking around. There were no sounds of battle or enraged ghosts, so she took it as a good sign. She walked up to the gate, looking at the camera. She debated the chances of Vlad buzzing her in and opted to climb up the bars. It was simple enough, she'd climbed harder. She just had to be careful of the top. She carefully moved over the sharp tips. She hesitated after she had made it over them, studying one of the sharp tips with a thoughtful look.

She dropped down to the other side, hurrying for the front door.

It was only then she rang the bell. At least going over the gate, it meant Vlad would be interested enough to see who got to the front door and bothered to ring the doorbell instead of something sneakier.

A few minutes later, the door finally opened, a frown on his face, which turned to surprise when he saw who it was.

And then ice cold.

Dani thought it might have hurt to see that look before. The fact she didn't just proved to her how wrong things were with her own mind.

Vlad didn't say a word, instead moving to close the door quickly. She suspected it. If she wasn't useful, she wasn't worth his time, wasn't that it? But she was determined and she was prepared.

She thrust out her arm, letting out a pained yelp as the door slammed against her arm. She forced herself to open her hand. "Look! You know something's wrong!"

Vlad hadn't expected the move. Why would she choose to shove her arm as a human to be slammed by the door? His eyes were drawn to her hand. Only to see a large gash across her palm, fresh blood leaking from the wound.

"You can't miss it when you know it's supposed to be there," Dani said, her not trapped hand clinging at the doorknob. She had cut herself at the top of the gate. One, to see something. And two, to have something of interest to show Vlad.

She wasn't wrong. Vlad had studied her extensively, especially her human form. She had been the only one stable enough and well formed enough to survive a transformation. The fact was, she was a clone, largely made from ecto. While ecto was a wonder, able to transform and fuse into other things, like human DNA, with the right know how, it had left a mark.

His DNA and Daniel's had a sign under a microscope. To see the ecto in the strands, the 'screaming DNA.' For Danielle, it had been a bit more obvious. There was a slight green tinge to her blood. Easy to miss or brush off. A trick of the light to those who didn't know better. It was only slight discoloration.

But it was enough to notice its absence when one knew to look for it. The blood on that hand was only red.

Blood fell to the floor. The flow was would say it's hers. It was almost proof.

Vlad grabbed her hand, pressing the injury, to be sure it was there. Danielle hissed in pain.

It was her injury. It was her blood. Her red, human blood.

Something unpleasant squirmed inside Vlad, but he ignored it. This was a curiosity, nothing more. Now that he thought about it, none of his ghost sensors went off. Even if the human form of the halfa could fool the ghost sense, it could never fool the sensors. The Fentons hadn't made a device like his that could short circuit ghost powers and even then, that would have probably had a more adverse affect on young Danielle.

So in all likelihood, she was harmless.

Vlad let go of her hand, undid the chain of the door, and opened it wide. "And did you come to me for help?" He asked, looking down at her haughtily. "Daniel couldn't manage to find a solution in those faulty inventions of Jack's?"

"No," Dani said, rubbing at her arm. "I came to warn you."

Vlad scoffed. "And what are you so earnest to tell me?"

"There was an accident with the Fenton Ghost Catcher. My ghost half and human half were separated," she said. She suspected Vlad knew of the inventions the Fentons had.

She wasn't wrong. Vlad quirked an eyebrow. "What, will miss superheroine Dani Phantom come bring me to justice? Really now, girl, you're barely a threat to me while you're in full control of your facilities. Some superhero cliché is no threat."

"…my split was different from Danny's," Dani said.

"Why would it be different?" Vlad asked, disbelieving.

Dani's expression remained blank. She knew that should have hurt. This all should have hurt. All she could feel was worry. "Because I'm not Danny," she said. "Danny is a better person than I'll ever be. My ghost side is angry. And she wants to kill you."

At that, Vlad laughed. "Really, child? What sort of silly story is this? You're not killer," he said, with a dismissive wave.

"I could be," Dani said, face grim.

The look gave Vlad pause. It'd catch glimpses of it on Daniel's face. It was never for long, but it would be there when things were at their most dire. Against Pariah Dark, and when he agreed to go against Vortex. A determined sort of face that promised someone who would do whatever was necessary.

She couldn't lie that well, to make that face.

"A rather dark opinion of yourself," Vlad commented.

"I'm two years old and it's not a pleasant two years," Dani said, her tone matter of fact. Another flash of that uncomfortable feeling that Vlad chose to ignore. "I've had to lie, steal, and fight. Desperate and questionable acts are my life. The only reason it hasn't been worse is because I know it'd be wrong to cross certain lines. And I'm here, without my powers, on my own. Where do you think the moral compass is?"

"A fair point," Vlad said. "Then what are you proposing? Or did you just come here to convince me of the truth?"

"She won't hurt me," Dani said. "She loves herself too much."

She still had those eyes. That uncomfortable feeling kept nagging at the back of his head. To suggest such a thing was dangerous. She knew how little he cared for her safety. Yet here she was, offering herself up as- "A hostage?"

She nodded.

Vlad considered this. At best, she was lying and he'd have to deal with some self righteous, cheesy hero with a possible love for alliteration. At worst, she was honest. Normally she wouldn't be a true threat. She was weaker and she would be holding back to not do any permanent harm. But if that was not the case anymore…

He stepped out of the way to let her in.

Sometimes intent was more than enough to make a minor threat into something to be wary of.


End file.
